The men’s basketball team at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, should finish at or near the top of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), according to a preseason coaches’ poll.
Ten players return for the 2012-13 season, including Russ Conley, of Transfer, Pa., who last season was named AMCC co-Player of the Year. Conley averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a junior. He has been selected as this year’s Preseason Player of the Year.
The Lions built a 16-12 record last season, which ended with a loss in the AMCC championship game. The team earned a bid to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference’s south region tournament.
“We have a lot of guys back, and that has a big part in the rankings,” head coach Dave Niland said. “But we haven’t even talked about it. Every year’s different, and it’s what you are now that matters.”
The team opens its season Friday with a game against Wells in the Penn State Behrend Tip-Off Tournament.
